Democrats Clear Winners Tuesday

Democratic Sens. Patty Murray and Harry Reid addressed a crowd at an election night watch party. Democrats won the White House and maintain their majority in the Senate.

Two races remained outstanding early Wednesday morning. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) held a small lead over Rep. Denny Rehberg (R) with about two-thirds of precincts reporting. And former North Dakota Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp (D) led by just 1 point over Rep. Rick Berg (R). Both close races took place in states Romney won by double digits.

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) said in a statement that with the party’s losses in the White House and Senate, “We have a period of reflection and recalibration ahead for the Republican Party.”

In the House, Democrats had gained only a few seats, far from their goal of netting the 25 seats needed for a majority. Several races across the country had not been called on Wednesday morning, and Democrats were likely to pick up a few more seats in California alone. But Republicans were never at risk of losing their grip on the House.

“Despite Republicans’ predictions that they would significantly expand their majority after the wave that swept them in power, like Democrats did in 2008, we didn’t let it happen,” Israel said in a statement.